Maui Male-Box

People who know me well understand I am quirky and playful. And my partner knows my nature, and thus, he agreed to let me put a box on his head and take his photograph for this month's April Theme of a Public Mail (Male) Box. He's such a good sport, isn't he? I added the extra touches of the face and the red flag to make the photo have more pizazz! My partner is flashing the famous Hawaiian shaka sign. If you would like to know more about the shaka, click here.

April's Theme Day for the Daily Photo Bloggers is A Public Mail (Male) Box. Below you can find the other participants with their version of this theme. Please visit them and see what a creative group of photobloggers we are!

1 -2 -3 -4 -5 -6 -7 -8 -9 -10 -11 -12 -13 -14 -15 -16 -17 -18 -19 -20 -21 -22 -23 -24 -25 -26 -27 -28 -29 -30 -31 -32 -33 -34 -35 -36 -37 -38 -39 -40 -41 -42 -43 -44 -45 -46 -47 -48 -49 -50 -51 -52 -53 -54 -55 -56 -57 -58 -59 -60 -61 -62 -63 -64 -65 -66 -

Maui's Winding Roads

Kula (Maui) has many narrow, winding roads.... just as the sign states in the photo above. These charming, country lanes require you to drive carefully as they twist and turn. It's challenging to pay attention as you want to ogle the incredible views of the ocean far below, flowering trees, gardens, and animals in the pastures.

Youth & Maturity

Senior Citizen
Teenager

Reflections

I've been so inspired by the pro photographers who post photos of reflections that I had to try one of my own. You know who you are as I'm always gushing in my comments about your GORGEOUS photos with way too many exclamation marks!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Springtime Comes To Maui

You know it's Spring on Maui when the jacaranda trees begin blooming. The flowers on these trees are the most phenomenal shade of violet, and when the petals fall to the ground as they eventually do, we call this the "purple snow". This jacaranda tree is a baby, and I will continue searching for mature trees in full bloom. They are breathtaking to behold.

A Beloved Friend Returns To Maui

I believe the smile on our friend's face speaks volumes. Every year he returns to Maui, just as many other snowbirds, and we pick him up at the Kahului Airport, the main airport servicing Maui. He always has so much warmth, joy, and appreciation for his return to our Maui Paradise, and we always feel delighted to see him-- as we do our other returning snowbird friends. I won't say too very much about this man because he's extremely humble, but he is revered by many as a "holy man". His birth country is India, and he is a profound, kind, aware, loving spiritual teacher whom we are honored to know as a beloved friend for many years.

The Orbs FINALLY show up for me on photos!

Ever since I had the experience of taking paranormal photos at Lily Dale, New York in September 2006, I have become fascinated with paranormal photography. I ordered a book from Amazon.com titled "How to Photograph The Paranormal" by Leonore Sweet which made me even more committed and desiring to capture orbs with my digital cameras. Sweet said in her EXCELLENT and thorough book that digital cameras are the best way to capture orbs.

In any event, I've been attempting to capture orbs for many, many months now, and FINALLY last week, without even thinking I would get an orb shot, I got two! I was outside taking more photos of the moon as I'm always trying to capture moon photos. You can see the slivered moon crescent in the photos above, and lots of orbs! Success at last!

Before you go and say the old cliche that these orbs are merely dust specks, or dirt on the lens or camera glitches, read the book! Better yet, try to catch some orbs yourself!

Quoting from the back cover of this highly recommended book:

"Have inexplicable spheres and fogs ever ruined any of your photographs? If you discarded them thinking dirt on the lens or camera glitches were to blame, you may want to retrieve them and reconsider. These spheres and fogs my be paranormal light forms. Light forms are mentioned in literature on angels, aliens, UFO's, ghosts, crop circles, near-death experiences, inter-dimensional beings, magick, and thought-forms. Hypnotized subjects describe the lghts as the forms we become between lives on Earth.

This entertaining book examines the many theories about what these energies may be and presents evidence throughout history that confirms their existence."

Maui Earth Turns Blue

Mokulele Highway, the main highway which runs from South Maui to Central Maui, is being enlarged from a two-lane road to a four-lane road. Part of the process seems to be putting blue 'stuff' on the ground--for what purpose I don't know. However, I thought this unearthly blue colored earth would make an interesting photo opportunity. Normally Maui's earth is quite red!

Maui Dog Keeps On Trucking Along

Since I will be participating in World Shutdown Day on March 24th, I won't be posting a photo tomorrow, so I am posting one tonight as I am diligent with keeping current with my daily photos. If you'd like to read more about World Shutdown Day (a day without computers), I wrote a blog about it on another one of my blogs: Who's Yo Mama.

Wall of Pink

If you live in a place long enough, you have the opportunity to watch children grow- up, observe changes, and marvel at many transformations. We used to pass this bare stucco wall on our beach walk some years ago, and now look at it: a riot of gorgeous pink!

Day At A Maui Beach

When company comes to visit us on Maui, I don't follow my normal posting/blogging routine, and I PLAY! Lately this is what I've been doing--lots of playing--and that's why I haven't been posting too much on my blogs or making comments on others! These are recent photos from a day at the beach with friends. The first one I posted to demonstrate that I've been thrown a bit off balance. :-)

Mama Maui painting

This is one of my paintings which I have titled, "Mama Maui". The frame was also painted by me to blend with the painting.

Strange Grapefruit

There are so many strange things that happen that were I to list all of them, it would make a very long list. Check out this weird grapefruit which we opened--it was...well, strange!

Red Tilt

Construction is going full tilt boogie on Maui, so everyone in the construction business is making a good income these days. This photo was taken alongside the Mokulele Highway which is being enlarged to four lanes. I like the red tilted truck against the blue sky.

Yet Another Waterfall Photo

Here's another one of my waterfall photos. In former times, I used to hike, ride, and hang-out more in Nature, but in recent years, I've been focused in a different direction (creating art and attempting to complete several books PLUS diving into blogging and the immense blogosphere), so many of the recent photos I've posted here are from my archives. When I post them, I feel melancholy remembering the wonderful moments of my life, some of them with people who have crossed over the rainbow bridge. I was reminded of our precious moments when a lady I had married many years ago called to inform me her amazing, loving husband had recently passed. I had posted a photo of their wedding kiss ten days after he had passed on, and I had felt his presence at the time, not knowing until this past week about his passing. This is one of the many reasons I love photography: capturing the precious blessings of moments in time.

Riding Into The Crater

This is a photo of me taken by another and since I was moving, the photo is a bit blurry. Riding into the crater is my favorite way to go (although dusty), and this method is available to anyone who prefers to be on four legs instead of two.

Resting on Crater Hike

This is a photo of a friend as we stopped to rest and admire the beauty of the crater. If you look to the right, you will catch a glimpse of the greenery way below. I've hiked the crater a lot, and discovered the weather conditions change frequently, so one has to be prepared with a rain poncho and layered clothing. When I took this photo, the misty clouds had just began drifting across the crater whereas a moment before, the view was clear.

And yes, Nathalie, we were lucky to win the cabin ONE time! Most of our hikes, however, are day hikes--in and out. The elevation is high, so one has to be in good condition, especially if you hike all the way down through Kaupo Gulch as my partner and his buddies like to do in one day. Few people do this arduous hike starting at the top and down through Kaupo in one day and split it up in two, but my partner and his friends are amazing hikers. With this group I have hiked the Annapurna Base Camp Trek in Nepal, the Na Pali Coast trail on Kauai, and other tough hikes.

Hiking Into Cloudy Crater

The Sliding Sands Trail captured in this photo leads into the heart of the Haleakala Crater on Maui. If you put your name into the lottery for a cabin, you might get lucky and have the opportunity to sleep overnight indoors at the bottom of the crater as we did. Otherwise, you can apply for a permit for camping. This is an awesome hike!

Buddha Through The Trees

On the outskirts of Lahaina (on Maui's West Side), sits a large Buddha statue on a concrete platform. This photo was taken at a distance, so you can't get a feel for how large the statue is.

Maui Cowboy

Here's the real McCoy--a Maui cowboy! This photo was taken at a ranch where the cowboys aren't urban cowboys. There are still working ranches on Maui and the other islands, even though there are no longer cattle drives down the main streets of town as in the olden days. A great documentary I saw many years ago titled "Paniolo O Hawai'i--Cowboys of the Far West" by Edgy Lee is well worth viewing should you get your hands on a copy.

For Eric With Aloha

I dedicate this silhouette photo of a lovely hula dancer to Eric of Paris Daily Photo.

Happy 200th! Happy Birthday!

Warmest Aloha from Maui!

The First Time

This is a friend's baby's introduction to the ocean for the first time--at least, in this baby's current lifetime. I love this photo because it says so much--the strong arms of the father, the moment just 'before', the trust. I especially love the expression on the baby's face.

Just The Sky And Ocean

If you normally looked out to sea at this beach, you would see lots and lots of colorful surfers. Several surf schools put their students in the waters at this Kihei beach because of the gentle waves. However, for some odd reason, when I shot this photo, no one was surfing. No cars were in the parking lot. Just me....the sky...and the ocean.

Island Dog

This is a friend's dog. She loves it. She dresses-up her dog in wild outfits. One of her business's is as a designer of dog clothes, dog gifts, and dog treats. Her dog won the best dressed contest this year with the theme of "Flower Power." Any questions? :-)

Beautiful Gen Three In My Series

Lunch at the Award-Winning Hali'imaile General Store

Many years ago Bev & Joe Gannon opened their restaurant in a 1929 vintage general store set flat dab in the middle of a pineapple plantation. This restaurant, The Hali'imaile General Store, quickly became a huge success, without a doubt due to the delicious cuisine of Chef Bev Gannon and the charming atmosphere of this old building.

Across the street there still is an old stable, and next to the restaurant sits a bus barn. The parking lot is usually packed, but there is usually plenty of extra parking across the street. If you come for lunch, you may have to wait outside on a bench as they don't take reservations for lunch, only for dinner The ambience inside is colorful, noisy, and charming.

Three of us began our lunch today with freshly made Mango Margaritas and a small crab pizza appetizer. Our main courses were an ahi wrap, a smoked turkey cheddar cheese sandwich with fries, and a macadamia -crusted fresh mahimahi fish dish. Desert was an upside down pineapple cake with ice cream. Oof! Off for a siesta....

Exultant

I took this beautiful shot sometime back, but I've been dragging my feet learning how to upload from my new(er) 10 megapixel camera. Ya see, my paperwork and instructions are lost somewhere in my piles of stuff, and I haven't been able to find it. Thus, I knew I was in for an experiential learning curve with downloading my new camera's photos into my computer photo editor....and then locating it! But, I DID I! I'm feeling so relieved! I hope you enjoy this photo. It cost me lots of white hair! Now I think I'll go have a stiff one. I know it's only the beginning of the week, but anyone care to join me for a strong Mai Tai?

End Of The Trail

If you were to hike the Hana bamboo forest trail--the opposite side of the road of the famous mis-named Seven Sacred Pools--this is what you would find at the end of the trail: a magnificent waterfall with a cool pool (not pictured).

Technorati Tags:Daily Photo Blog, Wailea Daily Photo Blog,Maui photos, Hawaii photography

The Venerable Lama Gyaltsen

I recently asked Lama Gyaltsen if he would pose for a photo for me.

Lama Gylatsen is the head of the Maui Dharma Center
the island on which I live. My family was also closely connected to the late Lama Tenzin who passed away in 2001. A small group of us made a pilgrimage to Tibet with Lama Tenzin in 1998, and a film was made of this adventure. Lama Tenzin hadn't seen his family for 40 years since his escape into India, and so his reunion with his family was very touching. Below is a photo of the late Lama Tenzin.

Light of Maui

This old blue church is surrounded by commercial enterprises on South Kihei Road, the second main north/south thoroughfare of South Maui. Even though land is very expensive on Maui, this small church remains-- defiant against the manic growth of commercialization, large mega-churches, and building happening now on Maui.

Technorati Tags:Daily Photo Blog, Wailea Daily Photo Blog,Maui photos, Hawaii photography

Another Maui Mystery

This large stone sculpture sits in front of a fenced-in home on a non-major Kihei, Maui street. I have driven by it countless times in the last 16 years I've lived on Maui. Friends and family speculate on what it represents: a lizard, a dinosaur, a snake, or a Maui-the-demigod fish hook are some of the ideas put forth by others.

It sits near a overgrown gully (which you can't see in this photo), and many years ago, a Portuguese elder who grew up on Maui told me that gullies are considered negative energy portals--of course, her input fueled the mystery for me. She said she would never live a gully. Why has this sculpture been placed here? By whom? The current owners bought the property behind it quite a number of years ago after the former tenant passed on, and the sculpture was already there. Who knows how long it's been there. It is a Maui mystery to be sure.

Technorati Tags:Daily Photo Blog, Wailea Daily Photo Blog,Maui photos, Hawaii photography